27th Air Transport Group
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Military site : airfield
Planned to be a Satellite Landing Ground for No. 23 Maintenance Unit at RAF Aldergrove, Langford Lodge was selected in October 1941 to be developed as an air deport for the maintenance and repair of USAAF aircraft. A scheme was devised whereby the British Ministry of Aircraft Production would build the airfield and necessary facilities, while the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation would staff the depot with civilian employees. Built during January-October 1942, and extended during the winter of 1943-44, the 3rd Base Air Depot had eventually two concrete runways, 26 pan hardstandings with 100 'fingers’ for aircraft storage, and nine T2, eight Robin and some 20 Butler hangars, plus a Lockheed-designed hangar. During 1942 the station was considered as a transport base for USAAF Air Support Command and for the Eighth Air Force but never used as such. Although transferred officially to the Eighth Air Force in December 1942, the Depot continued to be run by Lockheed until closed in August 1944. The station was occupied briefly by the 7th Air Depot Group of VIII Service Command during September 1943 to January 1944.
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Squadron
Browse 18th Weather Squadron photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/60
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Military | Private | 403rd Air Depot
McFall was Dishonourably Discharged from the USAAF on 21 October 1943 and sentenced to 5 years hard labour for sleeping at his post at Langford Lodge on 6 October 1943.
Military | Major General | Ordnance and Armament Officer
General Ostrander was born in Stockbridge MI, attended local schools and studied engineering at Western State College, MI. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June 1933 and graduated in 1937.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions. Ended Tour Duty (ETD). Assigned to BAD3.
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Military | Captain | Pilot | 14th Fighter Group
Captain George Edward Richards was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Richards of Forest Hills, New York. In May 1942, he was one of the first pilots in the newly formed 83rd Pursuit Squadron of the 78th Pursuit Group flying the Lockheed P-38...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot
Crashed in P47#42-8585 while on ferry flight from Sydenham to Langford Lodge crashing near Lyle Hill.
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) was hit by flak in the target area , Wilhelmshaven, Germany 22-Mar-43. Losing altitude and falling behind the formation, it was attacked by fighers. Plane crashed into North Sea in the vicinity...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 324BS/91BG [DF-B] Bangor 31/8/42; Bassingbourn 26/9/42; 322BS [LG-A] 5/43 16+m; taken off operations and transferred 403 AD 2/7/43; 8AF HQ Sqd 15/8/43 for VIP duties. Salvaged 19/10/44. Used as camera ship to film Major William Wilder's...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 414BS/97BG Polebrook 3/42; transferred 92BG Bovingdon 24/8/42; crash landed Agricultural College, Athenry, Ireland, near Galway Bay, 15/1/43 ex N/Africa after taking part in 1st Prov Grp of Gen Brereton in Eritrea (as No 8.). En route...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 7/3/44; Kearney 22/3/44; Grenier 7/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-B] Deenethorpe 15/4/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
P-38 Lightning
P-38J field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration and fitted out with equipment and aerials for Elint** work. Detached to 192 Sqn*** RAF for Elint** missions.
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P-38 Lightning
P-38J field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration and fitted out with equipment and aerials for Elint** work. Detached to 192 Sqn*** RAF for Elint** missions.
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P-38 Lightning
Built as a P-38J by Lockheed, field modified to 'Droop Snoot*' configuration as the first full prototype of type. Trials A/C, later used operationaly as well. Led formations of 20th and 44th FG P-38's on bombing raid 10-4-44.
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B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 834BS, 486BG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred in Jul-44 to 835BS. May have been transferred briefly to 493rd BG but definitely transferred to MTO 10 Mar 45 by BAD 3 and assigned to 98th BG. Salvaged 27 Apr 45.
B-24 Liberator
Assigned 834th BS, Transferred to 833rd BS (4N F). After storage at BAD 3, Langford Lodge, Northern Ireland, it was transferred to MTO 14 Feb 45 and assigned to 465th BG / 781st BS (T). Sadly, its service in 15th AF was very short indeed because it was...
B-24 Liberator
Assigned 834rd BS, 486th BG, 8th AF, One of the original aircraft flown to the UK - until the end of Jun 44.
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Date | Contributor | Update |
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05 January 2016 20:30:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to usaaf from date, usaaf to date, construction date and closure date |
Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:02:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / David J. Smith, Action Stations 7: Military Airfields of Scotland, the North-east and Northern Ireland (Cambridge, 1989) Roger Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual (London, 2001) |